The fallen Obadiah staggered up from the ground. Without hesitation, he grabbed a crushed car beside him and hurled it straight at Smith Doyle.
Facing the incoming vehicle, Smith casually raised a hand—an energy blast shot out and detonated the car midair.
BOOM!
Watching the fiery debris rain down, Obadiah growled bitterly,
"Superhuman? Super soldier serum?"
"I don't care what you are—if you get in my way, you die!"
Though momentarily stunned by Smith's earlier strike, Obadiah recovered quickly and unleashed every missile on his right arm.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Twelve missiles split into two groups—six aimed at the airborne Tony, six targeting Smith on the ground.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The barrage was too sudden. Tony didn't have time to dodge. The missiles hit squarely and blasted him backward—straight in the direction of Pepper Potts.
Seeing him crash-landing in a smoking heap, Pepper ran toward him.
"Tony! Tony, are you okay?!"
As for the missiles aimed at Smith—they only hit an afterimage. Missing the real target, they smashed into the ground instead.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The explosions left a crater and sent dirt and shrapnel flying everywhere.
···
Smith hadn't even used his full Afterimage Fist—just a burst of speed had already taken him far from the impact site.
Obadiah, seeing the dust cloud left by the blast, laughed triumphantly.
"Tony, I love your suit. Superpowers or not, you're still dead!"
"He's no Superman!"
But a cold voice rang out behind him:
"I may not be Clark Kent… but what makes you think you're Bruce Wayne?"
"Kamehameha!"
Smith Doyle cupped his hands at his waist, energy swirling between them, then thrust forward—the blast shooting upward toward the Iron Monger.
BOOM!
The moment it connected, the energy wave sent Obadiah's massive armor flying.
Inside, his HUD lit up red with critical errors and emergency warnings.
"AAARGHH!"
BOOM!
The Iron Monger exploded midair—shattered into flaming fragments, with not even a trace of Obadiah left behind.
Smith's Kamehameha had completely vaporized both the mech and its pilot.
Meanwhile, Tony, who'd barely gotten up, looked toward the sky where the explosion still crackled. He mumbled,
"That's it?"
"Damn… so this whole fight, the guy was just playing with me."
Having obliterated the Iron Monger, Smith Doyle zoomed over in a blur and appeared beside Tony.
Seeing Smith dressed in his martial arts gi, Pepper said gratefully,
"Thank you, Mr. Smith. You saved both of us—again."
Tony added,
"Give me a little more time and I would have taken down Obadiah myself."
Smith waved him off casually.
"Tony, Obadiah's dead. You handle the cleanup."
Looking at the smoldering wreckage, Tony admitted Obadiah got what he deserved. But deep inside, he made a vow—Next time, justice will be served by my own hands.
Opening his faceplate, Tony said sincerely,
"Thanks, Smith."
"I've got the cleanup from here."
Smith gave a slight nod, then glanced around at the still-gathering crowd… and at Coulson, who had stayed hidden nearby the entire time. Without another word, he disappeared.
Coulson, watching him go, breathed a sigh of relief. Having witnessed the Iron Monger's destructive power firsthand, he knew he'd narrowly escaped death—just like the other agents who'd perished underground in Zone 16.
Now, with so many bystanders present, the aftermath was going to be a nightmare to manage.
As Smith left, Tony silently made a decision—until he upgraded to stronger materials, he wasn't going to spar with Smith Doyle. Not unless his suit could handle attacks stronger than the Iron Monger's. Otherwise, one hit from Smith could finish him.
Touching his chin, Tony muttered to himself,
"Yep. Armor upgrades—top priority. I need something that can tank those energy attacks."
"That move… kinda looked like a laser cannon. Bigger than my chest repulsor…"
···
Back at the Assassin's League HQ, Smith Doyle showered and lay in bed.
He wasn't asleep yet—his mind replayed the day's events. Once Tony made that announcement during tomorrow's press conference, the Marvel Universe timeline would speed up.
He wondered how strong the Hulk and Thor really were—maybe they'd finally give him a decent fight.
As for his unusual training method—boosting power by "controlled self-injury"—he figured it was a way to unlock potential. But having just fused with a new bloodline and gained a strength boost, he wasn't sure how much potential he had left to unlock. It'd be embarrassing if the gains were too small.
Then there was the bigger issue: with major events in the Marvel Universe starting to unfold, countless monsters and cosmic beings would soon appear.
And the next time he summoned Shenron, it might take more than just an ocean to contain the spectacle. The entire world could go dark.
Literally.
Even though half the Earth is in darkness at all times, an abnormal full-global night would draw unwanted attention—from places like Kamar-Taj… and even the Eternals.
Stormy days lay ahead. The Assassin's League needed to grow stronger.
Also, the power level detector was nearly ready. Time to prepare for a product launch.
···
But before he could sleep, Phil Coulson knocked on his door.
In the lounge, Smith Doyle looked at the man who had clearly rushed here.
"Coulson, shouldn't you be helping Tony manage the fallout from today? Why come to me?"
"I thought this was your department."
Coulson nodded.
"Tony's tech has… exceeded standard protocols. So yes, this case is now ours."
"And because we're cleaning up your mess, we need to coordinate."
"There'll be a press conference tomorrow. You and Tony are both expected to attend."
···